Restaurant Product and Liquor Liability.

 Restaurant Product and Liquor Liability.😜

Owning or managing a restaurant can be a rewarding venture, but with the rewards come major risks. Two of the most concerning in the restaurant business are the food and drink you serve.

Studies show, 

                                1 in 6 Americans gets sick from foodborne illnesses each year. Of those, 128000 are hospitalized and 3000 die. The FDA has identified the five most significant contributors to foodborne illness in a restaurant setting.

Five Most Significant Contributors.

            1. Food from unsafe sources 

           2. Inadequate Cooking 

           3. Improper Holding Temperatures

           4. Contaminated Equipment

           5. Poor Personal Hygiene 

Reference Industry Best Practices.

By referencing accepted industry best practices, you can develop controls and procedures to minimize the effects of each of these contributors. Safe food storage controls will help eliminate biological hazards and risks associated with foodborne illnesses.

Safe Food Storage Considerations.

            1. Ventilation 

           2. Extermination

           3. Containers Tightly Covered - Labeled and Dated 

           4. Food Items Stored 6 Inches off the Floor

           5. Proper Temperatures Maintained 

           6. Cleaning Products Stored Away from Food Products 

Safe Practices.

    Restaurant kitchen staff should be well versed in safe practices and kitchens should have signs posted outlining safe procedures and storage temperature for all food types. consideration include defined kitchen cleaning schedules for cooking equipment, utensils and cutting boards, and floors, walls, horizontal surfaces, and appropriate handling of food. 

Additional Food Safety Controls.

            1. Checking Foods for Foreign objects 

           2. Checking Supplier's Quality Control 

           3. Posting Ingredients 

           4. Employee Ingredient Awareness 

           5. Undercooked Food Warnings 

           6. Evidence of Organic or Low Fat

           7. Properly Maintaining Temperatures for Catering or Catering or Carry-Out Foods.

                  Along with making sure your food is safe for consumption, you need to assure your patrons are consuming alcohol safely as well! According to CDC, alcohol use results in approximately 88000 deaths and 2.5 million years of lost potential life span annually in the US.

Protect Yourself and Your Business.

               As a restaurant owner, it is critical to ensure customers are not overserved. Failure to control this exposure cloud results in fines, loss of license, increased insurance costs, and possible imprisonment. 

All Servers Should be Trained.

               Anyone who serves alcohol should be trained. Certification and recertification are available through several highly recognized programs, both online and in classroom settings. 

Written Liquor Service Policies.

                Written liquor service policies should be established to address items such as:

              1. Carding persons Who Appear Under 30 

              2. Intoxicated Customers 

              3. "Ride Home" Policy

              4. Incident recordkeeping 

Losses Can Be Minimized!

              1. Identify Exposures

              2. Have a prevention Plan 

              3. Ongoing management Support

Questions?

               Should you have questions about controlling your liability exposures, contact your independent insurance agent.